


blackness

by Wolfereign



Category: Invader Zim
Genre: Angst, Blindness, Denial, Doctors, Domestic Relationship, Fighting, Hurt/Comfort, Lasers, M/M, based on the nightmare begins, bpd purple, emphasis on the hurt but also emphasis on the comfort, eventually, homophobic irken oc's lol, it aint explicitly mentioned but it's implied with his actions and denial, joking, loving teasing, lying, purple doesn't think he deserves help, they need marriage counseling maybe lol, we love adding depth to a character not meant to be deep
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-06
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:13:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23510641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wolfereign/pseuds/Wolfereign
Summary: Purple had known it.He’d known it from the moment he’d opened his eyes after the first laser shot. His vision was blurry. Temporary blindness in the eye due to the impact. That was what he chalked it up to.It wasn’t a big deal, he’d told himself. Sure, telling the invaders apart was a bit difficult. But that could all be equated to the general not-caring attitude of a tallest. No one noticed, so he didn’t care.It wasn’t a big deal. It certainly wasn’t. His sight would go back to normal shortly. Nothing to mention, nothing to worry about.
Relationships: Almighty Tallest Purple/Almighty Tallest Red
Comments: 12
Kudos: 94





	1. The Darkness

**Author's Note:**

> hey it's 5 am when im posting this. kill me

Purple had known it.

He’d known it from the moment he’d opened his eyes after the first laser shot. His vision was blurry. Temporary blindness in the eye due to the impact. That was what he chalked it up to. 

It wasn’t a big deal, he’d told himself. Sure, telling the invaders apart was a bit difficult. But that could all be equated to the general not-caring attitude of a tallest. No one noticed, so he didn’t care.

It wasn’t a big deal. It certainly wasn’t. His sight would go back to normal shortly. Nothing to mention, nothing to worry about.   
  
“Oh, and remember! Lasers.”   
  
He hadn’t seen the next one coming either. Not until it hit him right in the other eye, knocking him to the ground. 

He wasn’t sure if he’d opened his eyes at first. No shapes came into them. No light, no colors, nothing. Just inky blackness as far as he could see. Or couldn’t see.

But this was fine. Again, another temporary thing. He could live without his sight for a while. It would return to him. He couldn’t make a scene over something so trivial.

So, he stood back up and acted like all was well. Because it was. He followed the audio cues, and everyone was none-the-wiser. Just smiling and waving was enough. He could manage it.

…

He supposed the afterparty was going well. He might have been able to tell you for sure if he could have seen anything.

It had been hours. His vision still hadn’t returned. He’d stumbled through the party blindly bumping into everyone on his way. But it simply seemed like intoxication. Once again, no one could tell anything was off.

Red missed the way Purple had flinched when he put a hand on his shoulder.    
  
“Man, is this great or what?” Red grinned and leaned on Purple.

“Haha, yeah…” Purple rubbed his hands together.

“I told you the lasers were a good idea. The crowd loves them!”

Purple might have agreed, if he could see them.

“Guess you were! I guess I admit my defeat.” 

“Ha! I win!”   
  


“You sure do, shit lord. Now go do something else. Your breath smells like the south end of a Vortian.” He shoved Red’s shoulder. Red snickered before running off to do something else.

And no one had noticed anything off.

…

After the afterparty. A weird time, when no one was quite as happy as before, but they still were coming down from their highs. Purple and Red were alone on The Massive, navigating through the halls. Purple used the sounds of Red’s steps and voice to guide himself, vision still black.

“Did you see how many nachos Jiko ate? The dude’s insane!”

“Sure did! Horrific.”

“Pfft- I’ve seen way worse.”

“Maybe so. Maybe so…” 

Red shoved Purple’s shoulder as he chuckled. “You’re such a dumbass.”

This time, he didn’t miss the way Purple flinched. Or the way he stumbled and tried to regain his balance.   
  


“Jeez. How drunk did you  _ get?” _

“Oh- shut it.” Purple scowled. Red put his hands up in mock surrender.   
  


“Alright, alright. No need to be a dick about it.”

Purple huffed and walked past Red. He tried to get to their quarters, getting pissed when the door wouldn’t open.   
  


“Uh. Pur?”

“What?”

“You’re walking into a wall.”

Purple blinked. Not that it did anything. “Oh.”

Red just laughed. “Irk to Purple? You doing alright there? You’re acting crazier than Zim.” 

He huffed at the notion. “I am not!” 

“Whatever, man.” Red chuckled and opened the  _ actual _ door, Purple trailing behind him. 

He didn’t notice when Red turned the light on. And he squeaked when Red grabbed him by the waist, pulling him to bed.

“C’mon, fuckface. It’s time for you to sleep your stupidity off.”

“You’re the stupid one.” Purple laid down next to Red.

“I’m not the one who walked into a wall!”

“Well- you-! Fair point.” Purple sighed. Hopefully, this blindness nonsense would solve itself in the morning.

Red laughed and kissed Purple’s forehead. “Get some sleep, nerd.”

“Fine.” He leaned against Red as the pair started to fall asleep.

…

Morning came. Or whatever the space equivalent of it was. Red was in the kitchen, cooking up some mess of breakfast as Purple blinked awake. Still, nothing but darkness. He sighed and rubbed at his eyes, the smell of food enough to drive him out of bed. He sat up, but didn’t make a move to stand.

“Hey there, sleepyhead.” Red chuckled from the stove. Purple made a face in his direction as he carefully stood up. He was a bit off balance, but he knew their quarters well enough to navigate them even without his sight. Muscle memory, if you will.

He sat at the table, rubbing at his eyes a bit. Still nothing. A dissapointment, sure, but nothing he couldn’t work past. He did it yesterday, and he could do it today. Or as long as he needed to keep it up. But he wouldn’t have to keep it up long, because this was only temporary. His sight would surely return to him soon.

Red put a plate of food in front of him and kissed his cheek. 

“For you, my fartface.”

Purple swatted him with his antennae. “Ew. I’m banning you from making nicknames.”

“You can try, but you’ll never stop me!” Red cackled.

“We’ll just have to see about that, won’t we?”

“Ah, shaddup and eat your food already.” Red sat next to him.

Purple turned his head down towards the plate that he couldn’t see. He could smell it well enough, though. Pancakes and eggs. But from what kind of animal, we’ll never know.

“Looks amazing, dumbass.” He chuckled.

“Thanks, shithead.”

“Buttface.”

“You gonna eat or not?”

“Yeah yeah, keep your skirt on.”

Purple shakily reached for the fork. Once he found the plate, it actually wasn’t as hard as he expected to feed himself. More proof that he could handle this on his own. Though, he did tend to miss his mouth a fair amount, resulting in a mess on his face.

Red huffed and reached for a napkin. “You’re such a mess. Is this what I have to put up with?” He joked and swiped at Purple’s face. Purple flinched again when it touched him. He blushed hard.

“I don’t need you to wipe my face!”

“Really? Cuz’ it seems like you do.”

Purple looked like a pissed off cat. “I swear I’m going to overthrow you one day.”

“Sure ya’ will.”

Red tossed the napkin aside and kissed Purple again before grabbing the plates and washing the dishes.

Purple tried to move his hand in front of his face. Nothing. Not the faintest amount of light or movement anywhere. The thought was concerning. Just how long  _ would  _ it take for his sight to return?

Red noticed this, but he didn’t comment. If Purple was going to be weird, he might as well let him.

“Alright, dummy. I’m off to the bridge. I expect you’ll join me?”

“Of course. Just- gimme a minute.” 

Red nodded, made finger guns, and headed out of the room. Leaving Purple to himself.

“Gh- stupid lasers- why’d it have to be lasers…” If Purple didn’t love Red so much, he might have snapped his spine by now.

He stood up, putting his hands out in front of him and walking slowly. This was fine. He could get around like this. Once he left the room, he put a hand on the wall. It was fine! No one could tell a thing. As long as he stuck to the wall, it’d all be fine.

When Purple finally arrived at the bridge, Red gave him a weird look.

“What  _ took  _ so long?” He crossed his arms.

Purple shrugged. “Sorry. Took the scenic route.”

“Whatever. Just get over here already. We have work.”

Purple paused at the bridge. To get to Red, he had to pass the narrow strip surrounded by a 100 meter drop on both sides. Normally not a problem, but without his sight it might as well have been a death trap.

“Today, Purple.”

He scowled at Red before taking a shaky step forward. And another. Very, very slowly.

After watching this for a few seconds, Red got fed up with it and came over, dragging Purple by the arm to the other side. He squeaked and flinched.

“What is  _ up  _ with you??”

Purple didn’t respond as Red dragged him. He took his seat silently, fidgeting with his hands. Red tossed a tablet at him, Purple almost dropping it.

“Get to work already.”

Purple nodded, moving it around in his arms and picking up the pen. As long as he pretended he was doing work, it shouldn’t raise too many questions. He blindly fumbled with it, acting like he was very concentrated and busy. Red could see through it, though.

“When I said get to work, I didn’t mean play around for 10 minutes!” He huffed, scowling.

“I’m not! I’m doing very serious work!”    
  
“Uh huh. Then tell me what you’re working on right now.”

“Eh- a report- on the planet Blorch!”

“Mhm. Sure.” Red squinted at Purple. At the way he blankly stared at him.

Silently, experimentally, he sat up. Purple’s gaze didn’t change. It didn’t change when he waved his hand either.

He stood in front of Purple and waved his hand inches from his face. Not a single reaction. No twitch, no flinch, no eye movement. Red’s eyes went wide. 

“Purple?”

“Hm?”

“How do you not see that?”

“See what?”

Red let out a tiny gasp before grabbing Purple and hauling him off of the bridge, bringing him to a tiny hallway.

“Purple.”

“Why did you bring me here-”

“Shut up.” Purple twitched.

“When were you going to tell me you couldn’t see?”

“What are you- Of course I can see!”

“Yeah? Then how many fingers am I holding up?”

“Your middle one.”

“Wrong. It’s three. I’m holding three, Pur.” He was holding three up. Purple paled.

“Well- Well I-”

Red grabbed him by the wrists. “How long has this been going on??”

Purple swallowed hard. “Since- since last night.”

“When last night?”

“The- during your- laser show…” His voice was tiny. Now it was Red’s turn to pale. He dropped Purple’s hands as a guilty look washed across his face.

“When you- got hit with them?” A nod.

Red made a weird sound. 

“Purple- I- Why didn’t you tell me??” He sounded distraught.

Purple shrugged in return. “It wasn’t a big deal.” Red grabbed his wrists again.

“Going  _ blind  _ is a huge deal! Wh-what if this is permanent??” 

“I-I-”

Red sighed. “I’m-  _ so sorry-  _ Purpur…” He cupped Purple’s face, noticing the way he flinched.

“It’s- I’m gonna help you out, mhm?”

“I- I…” Purple hesitated. Red gave him a kiss on the cheek.

“C’mon. Let’s get you checked out in the medbay.”

This time, Purple agreed.

“Fine. Lead the way?”

“Of course, shitty-eyes.”

“I’m going to kill you.”


	2. The Fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which two assholes can't figure out how to communicate, despite being married for Irk knows how long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry it's been like 8 months i'm mentally ill

“Mhm. I see.” A medical drone was shining a light in Purple’s eyes. Or- maybe they were. It was hard for Purple himself to tell, considering his vision was still non-existent. All he could really tell was that somebody had a hand on his face.

“What is it, doc?” Red was sitting in a chair nearby. He was watching intently the entire time.

The doctor moved away from Purple, writing something on a chart. “Well, the good news is, it’s not as bad as I thought.”

“You mean- this isn’t permanent?”

A head shake. “There’s plenty of burn scarring from the lasers on his eyes.” Red gulped. Ah.

“But- so long as they’re taken care of, his ocular implants should be able to shed the scarring within a few weeks, and his vision should return.”

Purple jumped. “A few WEEKS?!”

“Unfortunately, yes. Your PAK is optimized for efficiency, not healing. They informed you of this during the Tallening, did they not?”

Purple grumbled. “They did….”

“Right. Well.” They grabbed a few supplies before getting to Purple’s eye level again. And then, Purple felt something wet drop in both of his eyes. He immediately hissed, punching the doctor out of pure instinct.

“Purple-!”

Red’s voice. Damnit. Purple flinched at the noise of him running forwards.

“Why did you  _ do that?” _

“They put something in my eyes!”

“It was- eye drops, my Tallest… for healing.”

Ah. Purple blushed. That was a bit embarrassing.

“Oh… I see.”

The doctor huffed. “May I get on with it, then?”

A scowl from Purple. “Fine. Warn me next time!”

“Duly noted.”

“Don’t punch them again.”

“Shut up, Red!”

And after a few minutes, Purple’s eyes were wrapped in bandages tightly. They felt snug. Not uncomfortable, though a bit warm.

“And….. there. You’ll want to change these around once a day. Use the drops as well.”

“Why is this even necessary?” Purple looked pissy as he crossed his arms.

“To speed up the healing process, my Tallest.”

“Shouldn’t need all this… I hate these PAK’s.”

“Good for you, sir.” The doctor handed off the supplies to Red. 

“That’s all you’ll need for me. If his vision hasn’t recovered at least somewhat in the next two weeks, come back here.”

“Understood.” Red nodded, before leading Purple out into the hallway.

“Yeesh, Pur, what’s got your spooch in a twist?”

“I don’t see  _ you  _ walking around blind.”

“Yeah, well you don’t see anything right now.” Purple could just tell Red had a shit eating grin on his face right now.

“I hate you so much.”

“Naw. I know you don’t.”

Purple huffed. He tilted his head towards the floor, staying silent for the rest of the walk to the room. When Red opened the door, he led Purple to the bed, sitting with him.

“Aw, c’mon… it’s not  _ that _ bad.”

Silence.

“Don’t tell me you’re giving me the cold shoulder.”

…

“Purple…”

…

“Look- I’ll take your workload while you’re recovering. See how nice I am?”

“...this was your fault in the first place.”

…

“If you hadn’t used those lasers, I wouldn’t be blind, now would I?”

“Aw, Pur-”

“Don’t ‘aw Pur’ me.”

“It’s not like I meant it!”

“You still did it though!”

Red was quiet for a minute. “I’m sorry, Purple. Really. If I knew this would happen- I wouldn’t have done it.”

“...you laughed.”

“What?”

“When it happened. You thought it was funny.”

“I-” Red paused. He  _ had  _ thought it was funny when Purple got hit with them. He didn’t realize just what they had done to him, though. “I didn’t know you’d actually gotten hurt!”

“I screamed!”

“You always scream! I thought you were being dramatic!” 

“You’re a dick, Red!”

Red growled. “I’m  _ WHAT?!” _

“You’re a dick! You don’t even  _ care _ about me!”

“Purple, that’s not-!”

“Shut up! I hate you!” 

The words made Red’s blood run cold as Purple backed away from him, still grimacing. 

“Pur-”

“No!” Purple stood up. He was heading towards the door.   
  
“Where are you going!”

“Away from  _ you!”  _

“You’re fucking blind! You’ll get nowhere!” Red grabbed Purple’s arm. He let it go when Purple flinched away from him.   
  
“Better than sticking around you! You don’t even give a shit!”

“That’s not true!”

“I don’t wanna hear it!” Purple walked out, and the door slammed behind him.

And Red was left alone in their room.

Fuck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter purple is gonna get totally fucked up lol <3


	3. The Incident

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Purple finds himself in over his head all alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The f slur is said once in this chapter (I can reclaim it)

_ Stupid Red. Stupid lasers. Stupid everything.  _ Purple looked like a pissed off cat as he walked… somewhere. It was really hard to tell where he was without his sight. The Massive was, well, massive, and sometimes completely unnavigable unless you knew exactly where you were going.

That left Purple in somewhat of a predicament. But like hell was he going back to Red right now. As much as he loved him, he could be such an asshole sometimes. And right now was one of those times.

He hadn’t meant it when he told Red he hated him. He just… he needed some time to himself.

What Red had done had hurt, he wasn’t going to lie. And he just didn’t know how to handle those emotions right now. Instead, he tried to figure out somewhere to go. Maybe he could stay in an empty room. Or kick a shorter out of their quarters for the time being. Purple was Tallest, and what he said usually went. Unless the Control Brains wanted to interfere.

Everytime he heard someone walk by, he tried to turn his head upwards. At least that way, he could somewhat hide the fact he couldn’t see. He didn’t need any of the shorters seeing some sort of weakness from him. It was… untallest-like. Besides, the last thing he wanted was to be worried about by someone under him, or worse, have someone try to  _ hurt him  _ with him being vulnerable.

The thought was ridiculous, though. Who would dare try to attack a Tallest? It was a crime punishable with deactivation. He doubted anyone on the Massive was ballsy enough to even consider the thought.

Purple’s stomach growled, taking him out of his thoughts. Oh yeah, he hadn’t eaten since breakfast. The food court couldn’t be far from here, could it?

He started walking in the vague direction he remembered it being in. There were only so many ways he could go, he was bound to run into it eventually.

His mind wandered as he walked. Was Red looking for him? Would he catch up to him before he could get anywhere? Force him back into their shared room, when that was the last place he wanted to be right now? 

It wasn’t that Purple didn’t want Red around, only that he needed space. He needed to think.

He needed a proper apology from Red.

…

What constituted a proper apology? The two of them hardly ever got into fights, not like this. There never really  _ was  _ a need for an apology.

Maybe he could get Red to take care of his chores for a month. That would be something to make it up to him. Purple  _ hated  _ doing them. 

He’d bring up the idea to Red the next time he saw him. Whenever that would be. 

His antennae perked up at the smell of food. He must have been close. He froze in place. 

The food court was bound to be packed. The shorters would all see him like this. That… he didn’t like the thought of that at all. It left him too vulnerable. 

…

As much as he hated to admit it, he  _ really  _ wanted Red to be here right now. He’d be able to get snacks for him without drawing any unnecessary attention.

No matter. Purple was still a Tallest, and he had power over the shorters. If anyone said anything, he’d just throw them out of the airlock. 

Purple walked forwards. When he heard the sound of several conversations, he knew he had to be in the right place. 

It was… nearly overwhelming. With all the sounds and smells yet no way to see what was making them or where he was going, Purple found it hard to keep himself together and make his way to the line.

He figured it out eventually, though, and cut in front of everyone. As shit as missing several organs was, being Tallest had some unexpected perks. Like being able to skip any line he wanted. And right now, that was a blessing, as it meant the shorters had less time to notice there was something off about Purple. 

Once he got his food, he all but ran out of the food court. He’d just find some private spot to go eat. He could barely think with all the noise there, and he just didn’t have the energy to deal with it all. 

After a bit of walking, he sat down in some hallway. He couldn’t really be sure of where he was, but it didn’t matter. He was Tallest. No one would dare make him move unless it was a danger to himself.

One time, he’d accidentally napped on the airlock door. That wasn’t fun to realize later when he was shaken awake by a guard.

He began to eat, only occasionally tensing up when he heard footsteps passing by him. No one said anything, though, and for that he was grateful.

Until a particular group passed by. Once he’d heard the footsteps leave the area, he could make out whispering. Just barely. He couldn’t tell who it was, or what they were saying.

Footsteps got closer to him. He could feel his spooch pounding.

“Red…?”

“Nah, not Red.”

There was a sound like laughter, and Purple suddenly found himself pinned on his back like an insect. There was a weight on his chest.

“Just what do you think you’re doing?!” 

He gasped. There was now a boot on his throat.

“Just having some fun. It’s not often we get a chance like this.”

There were two other boots on his antennae. They pulled and twisted, and Purple  _ screeched. _

“Yeesh. I didn’t think he’d be this  _ loud.”  _

“Me neither.” 

The boot on his throat pressed down harder. Purple found it getting increasingly difficult to breathe. His arms scrambled for purchase, but they were then held down. 

Just how many Irkens were here? 

“As your Tallest-”

“What, you order me to let go? I don’t really think I wanna. This is too much fun.” He was kicked in the head. “I mean, what’s better than seeing the ‘Almighty Purple’ stuck on his back like a smeet? Not so tough now, are you?”

Purple tried to slap at the Irken on his chest. There was something on his hand. And then, one of his fingers snapped. He screamed as blinding white pain ran up his arm.

“Nice one.”

“Think we should leave soon? The other guy’s probably close by.”

“Shit, yeah. The faggots can’t seem to keep their damn hands to themselves.”

Purple’s blood ran cold.

“Come on, let’s scram.”

The boot on his throat moved, replaced with a swift kick under the chin, before the offenders ran off.

Once he was sure they were gone, he coughed and rolled onto his side. His body felt like it was on fire. It was still hard to breathe. He could barely think, his thoughts muddled through the pain.

Purple didn’t know what to do for several minutes. He simply laid there, wheezing, until he had a thought.

Red.

Slowly, he pulled something out his PAK, spoke a command into it, and waited.

The phone rang.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)


	4. The Confrontation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Red realizes that's he's quite possibly one of Irk's biggest idiots.

When Red noticed his phone ringing, he had a mix of emotions.

A few were good! The rest… well. Red definitely was not pleased. Purple had the nerve to  _ call him _ after storming out like that, instead of coming and talking to him in person? The thought made his hackles rise up as he picked up the phone.

“Hello?”

“Red-”   
  


“Purple! You idiot! Do you know how worried I was?!”

“...”

“You could have gotten hurt! Or worse! Do you understand how much you fucked up?!”

“...”

“You keep making these… these- stupid decisions that put yourself in danger! You’re an idiot! You fucking moron!”

“...” 

“Do you even hear me?! Hello, Irk to Purple!”

“Red..”

“What?!”

“I…”

Red sighed, pinching in between his eyes. He checked a screen on his PAK.

“I can see you on my monitor. Don’t you even  _ think  _ of moving. I’m coming over there.”

“...........fine.”

Red hung up on him. The idiot. The fucking  _ idiot! _ Didn’t Purple see how stupid it was to storm off like that!?

He walked out of the room, slamming the door as he left. He couldn’t believe this. He was honestly in shock. Of course, Purple’s forte had never been his decision making. He was better with working with tech. It didn’t matter that his social or talking skills were a bit lacking. He had his own strengths.

But  _ this?  _ No, he expected better from Purple.

Red hadn’t even done anything! It was all on accident! He couldn’t be blamed for an accident! It’s not like Red had pushed him in front of the lasers! He was just having fun! Purple was really making a huge deal over nothing, he had to have been. Red acted like this all the time, and Purple never said anything! Why would now be any different? He’d heal, he would be fine, he had Red! Why was he so upset? Why did he hide this from him? 

He walked into the hallway that his PAK told him Purple was in. The idiot. The fucking imbecile. When Red saw him, he was going to give him quite the piece of his mind. He’d make sure Purple knew just how much he’d fucked up. Just how badly he’d worried Red.

And that was when he’d laid eyes on Purple. Lying on his side, holding his hand awkwardly, with busted up antennae and a black eye. Ooh. That looked bad.

Damnit. The idiot had gotten hurt. Red wasn’t sure what else he expected.

He knelt next to Purple, not missing the way he flinched when Red put a hand on his shoulder.

“Pur- it’s me.”

Purple was silent. He barely moved. Oh dear. Was his throat bruised? That didn’t look good. Had to have hurt, too.

“What did I tell you? I  _ knew  _ you’d get yourself hurt! Why don’t you just  _ listen  _ to me?!” Red was more scared than angry. He shouldn’t have let Purple leave like that. It was still Purple’s fault for running off like that, though. He had to have known something bad would have happened.

Purple was still quiet. Red noted that his shoulders were raised, as if scared. Or maybe trying to hide being hurt. Either way, Purple shouldn’t be left lying on the dirty floor in a hallway where others would be walking through. 

“Come on… We’re going back to our room, and then we’re going to talk.”

Purple still didn’t respond as Red hefted him to his feet, leading him back to the room. It was… off-putting to say the least. The fact that Purple practically refused to move his legs the entire time didn’t help calm Red down either.

There had to have been something very wrong with Purple for him to be acting like this. Had he gotten hurt more than Red realized? Did he need to go to the medbay again? None of this looked good. He was really starting to get worried, now.

The door opened, and Purple was once again put on the bed. A familiar sight. Red sat next to him, taking his good hand and holding it loosely.

“Pur..?”

“...”

“...come on. You’ve gotta tell me what’s wrong.”

“...”

“Purple.”

“I don’t wanna talk.”

“Why the hell not?!”

“This! Everything! You!”

“Me?”

“You! You did this! You wouldn’t apologize! You keep doing this!”

“I-”

“I don’t care if it was an accident! You still hurt me! And you won’t even take it seriously!”

“...”

“You do this all the time! Anytime I’m actually hurt… whenever I’m upset, you act like it doesn’t matter! Like I’m crazy, and I’m overreacting! I’m sick of it!”

“Purple…”

“You treat me like a smeet. I feel like I can’t tell you anything because you’ll just laugh in my face!”

Red looked down. Fuck. Had he really been doing this? He hadn’t meant to- 

_ ‘I don’t care if it was an accident! You still hurt me!’ _

Ooh. This was… not the situation Red wanted to be in.

“Purple…” He started. The words seemed to die in his throat everytime he thought of them. What  _ could  _ he say in the situation? “I… guess this is… my bad?”

“Your bad? You THINK?” Purple crossed his arms, before yelping and pulling back. Oh yeah. Broken finger.

“Purple!” Red reached out to him, but Purple yanked his hand back.

“Don’t touch it!”

“It looks broken.”

“So?”

“What do you  _ mean  _ so?”

“So what? It’s just another one of my ‘stupid decisions’.”

“Purple-”

“I can deal with it! It’s my fault for being so upset anyways!” There was anger dripping from his voice.

“Pur-”

“I’m such an idiot, I can’t do anything for myself! All I do is overreact to everything because I’m such a smeet!”

“P-”

“Oh, haha, look at Purple! He can’t even hold a damn conversation! Everyone come look at how  _ stupid  _ he is!”

“That’s not-”

“He shouldn’t even be Tallest because he can’t even take care of himself, let alone an entire EMPIRE! MAYBE HE SHOULD JUST BE DEACTIVATED!”

_ “Purple!”  _ Red grabbed him by the shoulders. Purple flinched at the action.

“What? What Red? What are you gonna say? Gonna tell me I’m making this all up? Tell me I’m overreacting, that I just need to go to bed? Huh? Huh?”

Purple realized moments later that he was being hugged, his arms pinned at his sides, with Red’s head leaning on his chest. 

Red was saying something. It was hard to tell what- he was quiet. Purple leaned forwards to try and hear.

_ “I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…” _

...what?

“I’m so sorry- Purple…” Red sat up, and Purple felt his hand on his face, rubbing at his cheek. “I never realized that- that- everything… I-”

Purple was quiet. 

“I didn’t- I’m sorry.” A sigh. “I’d never try to hurt you on purpose… you know that, right?”

“...”

“Pur..?”

“I don’t- I can’t think about this- right now.” Purple shook his head. This was… too much to process right now. And with the fact everything still hurt…

“Can I at least patch you up? Please?”

“...okay.”

Purple was silent as Red took his good hand, leading him somewhere else in the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi roger yes you're gonna get that gay bath scene eventually


	5. The Bath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Purple takes a bath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning for some mild gender dysphoria talk in this chapter

After cleaning up and bandaging most of his injuries, Red noticed Purple was still terribly on edge. He flinched at every little sound or movement, and was generally much quieter than usual. Red came to the conclusion that a bath might help calm Purple’s nerves, at least a bit. He’d always liked baths. 

And now, Purple slowly sunk into the tub, filled with a substance not unlike water but far enough from it to not burn his skin. He winced- he’d sustained a few cuts and bruises apart from the major injuries, and the water sunk into them. It stung, but the feeling was nice after a moment, the heat driving away the aching that had snuck into his bones. He sighed, shaky and quiet.

Red was at the side of the tub with him. He noticed how Purple was turned away from him, curling protectively around his bad arm and still tense, nearly shaking.

“Pur?” Still silence. Red sighed. “Is the bath alright?”

“...”

“Do you need anything?”

“...”   
  


“C’mon, Pur, you gotta talk to me. I can’t help if I don’t know what you need.”

“It’s just. It’s okay, I guess. It’s not like it really matters.” He took in a breath. “I know- I know that you’re just gonna… you’re gonna act nice, and you’re going to pretend it’s all okay, and then once I’m better you’re gonna start acting like you always do again.” Red winced. Ah.

“It’s just… I’m tired, okay? I’m just tired. You don’t understand how much I have to do. What I try to deal with everyday. I just want to rest.”

“I…” Red cringed. He didn’t know how to make this better, and it was eating him up inside. “I’m sorry… I just- I want to help. I care about you, you know that-”

“Do I?”

“...maybe you don’t. Maybe I haven’t… made that clear.” He sighed. “But- I want to. I want to care about you, and I want you to know that I do.” Red put his hand in the bath, noticing how Purple jumped at the intrusion. “Just… why don’t we focus on right now? What do you want now?”

“Now?” Purple raised his head a bit. “I guess… some bubbles would be nice. I’d like to get clean before the bath goes cold.” 

That got a smile from Red. Not like Purple could see it. At least he was starting to talk. That was progress, right? They certainly weren’t yelling anymore. Red grabbed some soap, starting to mix it into the bathtub. 

As he did, Purple made a face. “...they don’t like us.”

“Huh?”

“The shorters. They think we’re too… close.” Red cringed. 

“How do you know that?”

“They told me. When they did… this.” Purple was starting to get tense again.   
  


“They?”

“I don’t know how many there were. All I know is that they hurt me. And they… called us something.”

“Called us what?”

Purple drew his knees to his chest. “Do I have to say it? I don’t wanna.”

“No, no… you don’t have to. It’s okay.” Red had gotten a washcloth, filling it with soap and water and starting to draw it across Purple’s chest. It was an action familiar to the both of them. When one was so exhausted that they could barely move on their own, or hurt and needed to get clean, the other would scrub them down in the bath. It wasn’t a big gesture, but it was intimate. Safe. It was their thing, and they loved it. 

Purple flinched, but he made no move to get away, nor any protests as Red continued. If anything, his shoulders untensed after a few seconds. 

“...are we really that hated? To the point… the moment they had a chance, they hurt me?”

Red frowned. He brought the washcloth towards Purple’s PAK, running it along the edges and under where he knew Purple couldn’t reach on his own. “No… I don’t think that.”

“But they-”

“They were assholes who saw an opportunity to be assholes and took it. That doesn’t mean everyone hates you, Pur.”

“I…”

“You’re a great ruler. And I…” He sighed, tilting Purple’s chin upwards. “I’m sorry, if I ever made you think anything otherwise.”

Purple fell quiet again, but it wasn’t like the quiet from earlier. Rather, he seemed relaxed. 

Progress. Probably.

Red finished up his ministrations, before putting a hand on Purple’s shoulder gently. “You want to get out?”

Purple thought for a moment. Then nodded. 

And minutes later, Purple was wrapped in one of their softest towels, and being led out of the bathroom by Red.

“I can make my way to the bed on my own, you know.”

“I do know that. But I don’t want you walking into a wall and busting your pretty face.”

“Red…”

“Purple.”

“You embarrass me.”

“We’re married. Can’t I embarrass my husband, whom I love VERY much, just a little?”

“Hmph.” Purple was definitely blushing. Red laughed at the sight of it.

“Come on.” He had Purple sit down on the bed, tossing him a black bathrobe. That’s kind of gay, bro. “Are you hungry?”

Purple thought back to his rudely interrupted snack from earlier. “...a little.”

“Got it.” He patted Purple’s leg. “Be right back.”

As Red walked off, Purple could hear the door close. His thoughts started to wander.

Was Red really sorry? Or did he just want things to go back to normal again? Would he start acting like he always did the moment Purple felt better? Being a stubborn jackass who only seems to care about himself?

It wasn’t that Purple didn’t like him. He loved Red! But sometimes he felt like that was the  _ only  _ love in the relationship. He had… doubts about Red. Doubts that he returned the feeling, and didn’t only keep Purple around because he enjoyed the attention and doting. Who was to say Red even liked him? That he didn’t just stick with Purple because he’d get lonely as a Tallest?

Who could say that Red really wasn’t straight? Was he only with Purple because he-

The sound of the door opening cut off his thoughts. “Pur?”

“Y-yeah?” 

The weight of the bed shifted, and Red’s hand was on his cheek, rubbing at the bandages over his eyes. “You’re crying.”

Fuck. He was. He hadn’t even noticed it. “I… It’s nothing.”

“Purple…”

Purple just sighed. “What’d you..?”

“I got your favorites.” Red shook a bag in his hand. 

“Cheezos?”

“You betcha.”

Purple reached towards Red, but he yanked his arm back. “Aht aht- I gotta change those bandages of yours.”

“Why?” Purple started pouting.

“Because…” He could feel Red start to undo the bandages. “I really doubt leaving wet, tear stained fabric on your face is gonna help you heal.”

“Hmph.” Purple went quiet for the rest of the process. Red seemed to hum throughout it.

Once they were all off, Red tapped Purple’s cheek. “Open your eyes. Can you see anything yet?”

Blink. Blink. Still pitch black. He shook his head. Red sighed, and Purple could hear him fumbling with something. “Figured. Doesn’t hurt to check though, y’know?”

“Yeah.”

Purple’s face was bandaged again soon after that. He sighed, and Red placed the (already opened) bag in his hand.

“Purple? You look upset.”

“...”

“Is it about earlier?”

“...no.”

“Then what’s up?”

Purple was quiet for a long moment. “...do you… like me?”

“What? Of course I do! We’re married, why wouldn’t I-”

“Nnnnnot like that.” Purple curled up.

“Then like what?”

“Do you… like men?”

It was Red’s turn to go quiet. “What kind of question is that? Why would I marry you if I didn’t?”

“Because I- I’m…”

“Pur?”

“Because I’m trans! And I know you know that. I just…”

Red shifted. “I don’t… know what that word means.”

“Trans?”

“Mhm.”

“Y’know… like transgender?”

“Huh?”

Purple made a sound. “When… the smeetery workers say you’re one gender, but later you realize you’re a different one?”

“Oh!” He could feel Red move around again. “Me too.”

“Wh- huh?”

“What you just said? I’m like that too.”

“You  _ are?!”  _

“Yeah?”

“Why didn’t you tell me?!”

“I thought you knew!”

“I told you I was trans and you didn’t say anything!”

“I thought you were talking about railroads!”

Purple started laughing. “Why?!”

“I don’t know!” Red was laughing as well. 

Purple ended up slumping over, falling onto Red’s chest as they both laughed.

“You’re a real piece of work.”

“Mm, okay, call me an idiot. But I’m still the hot husband.”

“Are not!”

“Am too!”

More laughter. Purple sighed. 

“So… you really like me for me?”

“More than anything. You don’t even have to ask.”

“...thank you.”

“Anytime.”

Red’s arms rested just below Purple’s PAK as he felt the others breathing even out.

Maybe he’d make this right after all.

**Author's Note:**

> don't worry purple gets his sight back eventually. might write a sequel where red has to take care of this fucker as he recovers <3 all depends on the feedback i get. so if you want more, please comment!


End file.
